The "William Tell Overture" starts, and a masked rider on a white horse races across the screen.  "How-do-you-do-yo, Silver!" he yells.

If you are of a certain historic period (similar me) or an sometime west TV nerd, you lot know the words that follow from retention:

"A fiery horse with the speed of low-cal, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi-yo Silverish" – the Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for constabulary and social club in the early on Westward. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. The Lone Ranger rides once more!"

The Lone Ranger was synonymous with being the hero that fights for justice and doing what's right. He was a problem solver who delivered results, and he is the wrong model for successful leadership.

The Alone Ranger and effective leadership

The Lonely Ranger goggle box shows were based on a consistent, reliable formula:

  1. Something bad happened that required assistance from the Lonely Ranger and Tonto.
  2. The heroes ride in to solve the problem.
  3. The people who were helped thanked the Lonely Ranger for saving the day. They turn away for a moment. When they turn dorsum, they detect that the Lone Ranger is gone. They look at each other and enquire, "Who was that masked man?"
  4. The Lone Ranger has vanished, but he leaves behind a silvery bullet. The people that have merely been saved hear the Alone Ranger's phone call, "Hi-yo, Silver!" equally the evidence ends.

The most obvious reason not to follow the Alone Ranger'south example is the fact that he never shared the credit with Tonto. Peradventure the Lone Ranger was letting him know in private, but it is safe to assume that if information technology wasn't important enough to include in the bear witness, it most likely didn't occur.

The 2d, and possibly bigger, reason the Lone Ranger is a poor leadership model is evident in every episode. Information technology involves the silver bullet. Perhaps I am solitary in this, but accept y'all ever wondered what was written on that bullet?

My bet is that the silver bullet was the Lone Ranger's equivalent of the business carte made famous in another striking TV prove of that fourth dimension, "Take Gun Will Travel." Information technology contained the contact information of a telegraph office or Mail Role box where he could be contacted for farther assistance.

My belief is based on this truth—the Solitary Ranger never taught or helped anyone solve their own problems. He and Tonto always solved people's issues for them.

When you think about it, leaders are often cast in the role of the Solitary Ranger today. The script plays out like this:

  1. Something bad happens and the manager is summoned to solve the trouble. The call could come from external customers, internal customers, or squad members that don't know what to practice.
  2. He/she rides in and either resolves the consequence or, at best, tells people what to do.
  3. Those affected thank the managing director who might or might not share the glory with their loyal, trusted colleagues who contributed to the solution.
  4. The manager vanishes, merely she/he leaves behind her/his e-mail address and mobile device number. The people that have merely been saved hear the manager say, "Call me if yous accept a problem. Otherwise, you lot are on your own."

The impact of playing the Lone Ranger

Would yous want to piece of work for the Lonely Ranger if you were Tonto? Research done past O.C. Tanner found that 79 per centum of employees who quit their task cited a lack of recognition. A colleague or employee that is as trusted and loyal as Tonto is rare. You tin't afford to lose her/him because you didn't share the credit for their contribution.

Fifty-fifty more important, leading like you are the Lone Ranger places you in the position of having to solve everyone's problems for them. That's not the all-time use of your time. It creates an environment where high-performing employees are frustrated with never existence allowed to grow. Finally, accountability suffers because you never invested your energy to develop articulate expectations, provide resource, and teach people to solve their own problems.

You can still spotter reruns of "The Lone Ranger" even though it has been over lx years since the original series aired. Likewise, you can ever tune into the 2013 movie starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer.  The story of good overcoming evil is timeless. Just make certain that you don't utilise them as a model for effective leadership.

Randy Pennington is an honour-winning author, speaker, and leading authority on helping organizations reach positive results in a world of accelerating change. To bring Randy to your organization or upshot, visit www.penningtongroup.com , email info@penningtongroup.com , or telephone call 972.980.9857.